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PORTLAND – Senior Becca Bliss went 2-for-4 as the Vikings defeated the Weber State Wildcats, 5-3, Saturday afternoon at Erv Lind Stadium on Senior Day.
 
Bliss added a run scored to her two hits on the day and made several tremendous defensive plays in center field. Junior Brittany Hendrickson also went 2-for-4 in the game with a run scored and a run batted in for the Vikings.
 
"We did a good job showing up early in the game," first-year Head Coach Barb Sherwood said following the game. "Yesterday we had the bases loaded and didn't get anything out of it. Today we got a couple runs out of a bases loaded situation which was good. We also had a few things fall our way which was nice because all season long it's seemed like they didn't."
 
Portland State got on the board first with four runs in the bottom of the first inning. Alicia Fine led off the game for the Vikings with a single to left field. Bliss singled to center to move Fine to second. Fine then came in to score when Brittany Hendrickson singled through the right side.
 
Hendrickson's hit forced Weber State to make an early pitching change. Aubrey Nitschelm was hit by a pitch to load the bases with nobody out. It was Nitschelm's third hit by pitch in the series. The next two batters recorded outs and it looked like the Vikings might not be able to take advantage of their early opportunity.
 
Lexi Goranson, getting the start as the Vikings' designated player, popped up to the catcher directly on top of home plate. Bliss came in and hit home plate right as the ball came down. The Weber State catcher let the ball pop right out of her glove and fall to the ground which allowed each runner moved up 60-feet including Bliss who came in to score the second run of the game for the Vikings.
 
Kayla Norrie then singled to center field to drove in Hendrickson and Nitschelm to give the Vikings a 4-0 lead at the end of the first inning. Fine led off the second inning with a four pitch walk and then moved around the bases and scored on Nitschelm's sacrifice fly to left field to give the Vikings a 5-0 lead at the end of two complete.
 
Portland State starting pitcher Meagan Hendrix threw four shutout innings to start the game. Hendrix got into trouble in the top of the fifth inning after the first two batters reached via a walk and a single respectively. After getting the next two batters out, Hendrix gave up a two-run double to right center to give up her first runs of the game.
 
The double forced Hendrix from the game as the Vikings brought in Karyn Wright to pitch. Wright induced the first batter she saw pop out to Fine at shortstop to get out of the inning. Hendrix would earn the win in the game after allowing two earned runs on four hits over 4 2/3 innings. She struck out one and walked four, each to lead off an inning.
 
"Meagan has been getting better and better as the season has gone on," Sherwood said. "She spun the ball well today and got out of jams when she was in them. She's grown quite a bit throughout the season. Karyn has been our go-to all year so trusting her with the game on the line was not a big deal for us because she's been our workhorse."
 
Weber State relief pitcher MaCauley Flint came in and shut down the Vikings through the final four innings of the game as the Vikings were unable to move a runner past second base.
 
The Wildcats added a run with two outs in the top of the sixth to bring the score to 5-3 in favor of the Vikings.
 
Weber State started the seventh with a single up the middle. The next batter hit into a fielder's choice as the Vikings got the lead runner at second base. The next batter grounded up the middle off of Wright's glove over to Celena "Nugget" Carrasosa at second who flipped the ball to Fine at shortstop who gunned out the runner at first for the 1-4-6-3 double play to end the game as the Vikings took it by a final score of 5-3.
 
Wright would earn the save after throwing the final 2 1/3 innings. She allowed one earned run on three hits. The Vikings have now won their last five regular season finales going back to 2010.
 
NOTES: Brittany Hendrickson finished the season on a four-game hitting streak after going 2-for-4 … Kayla Norrie posted her second multi-RBI game of the year with two RBIs … Meagan Hendrix picked up her team-best fourth win of the season.